Traffic signal



Mallch 10, 1931. W, H, SCHMn-T 1,795,448

TRAFFI C S IGNAL Filed Oct. 7. 1929 1 INVENTQR:

M'MW JM TZ'JNEK Patented Mar.Y 10, 1931 UNITED @STATES APix'rlazrrr OFFICE i i i wILLIivr sentarnos sfrfPAUL, MiNNEso'rA y i. i 'rimirrcsrennt Y Appncaiipamea october 7, i929, serial No. 397,991.

My invention relates toftra'iiic signals iI`1 to and suspending my signal device (desiggeneral and moreparticularly to. an. illuminated F in Fig. l), preferably directly over nable and controlled signal most` useful at the center of the intersection at a predeterstreet intersections'. The main object is 'to mined "height normally such that all types of providea simple,fhighlyeiicient and inexpenvehicles, street cars, etc., have ampleJ clearff sive tra'ic signal Aoperable single Or'iliulance. In' Fig. 6 my signal device is mounted tiple units and inthe latter case involving cO- on post G in the `middle of an intersection, ordination lof signalsin'series, as onanarthe signal being highenough'to be readily terial street having heavy traffic. 'llhe'fea` seenfrom'all ,direct-ions, for example, higher 1i? tures and construction of my device and its thana street car S and readily seenby pedes- "ce Yoperationare 'hereinafter-. fully disclosed, triansor drivers as in aniautomobile T ap: references being had totheaccompanying vproaching'the intersection. f i' drawing, in which,- The preferred `construction Vof my signal Fig, 1 is a perspective view of'a'street, two device is illustratedinfFigs. 2, 3, 4 and and I intersections thereof and two of my devices thesignal shown V(F) in Fig. 1 should be assuspended one above each o'f said 'IltQIS'GC- sumedto be in the position of it shown in tionsl l `A f Fig. 3. f

H Fig. 2 is 'an end elevation ofa preferred l 10 is a cylindrical signal medium having formof'my trafic signal andFiglB is a side "its ends closed also and is rotatably mounted i elevation of Fig. 2, bothvi'ews showing simulas on a tubular shaft 1lV at one end while the 70 taneous signal means directing' traffic in one Vother end may have a solid shaft l2 journaled general direction and stopping traffic atrigllt in an end wall 13A of a downwardly openangles thereto. i ing shell or housing lnormally shielding` Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional eleva- Vor inclosing only the upper halfof the'said l tion on a vertical plane through the device cylindrical member. 75 shown in Figs. Zand 3, and additionally an AShaft'l'l is fixed to the lower edge portion electric diagram "of cylinder rotating means. of an end wall 13B of the shell 13j. The lower Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective View perimeter of 'said shell is ona horizontal of my improvedsignal cylinder, showing one plane suchV that said shell or housingcovers end part thereof only. n the upper half of the cylinder jmember and "Se VFightfis an elevation of my device m-ountjust above said rim mayV have .cut-out por'- ed on ap'ost at the center ofa street'intertions or stenciled openings designatingthe section. l i i names or numbers of the streets which inter- AFig. l7 is a perspective view of a modified sect; for example, on the twov opposite sides form of. my signal cylinder. rMain Ave. as in Fig'. 3 designates the cross 5J Referring to the draw-ing, I have desig-y street and 4th St. on the ends thereof designated parts and things not directly associated nate the other streetsecn in perspective in Ywith the device by capital reference letters Fig. 1. Y 1

and `using' otherwise reference numerals.l In The entire cylindrical walls, and the corre- Y the drawing A designates anear street Vinter'- sponding end walls are divided on a common *W section (in Fig. l) and B .the next intersecplane into lupper and lower panels, of which tion beyond on a Vstreet designated 4th St., the the upper half Vof the cylindrical part 14R as cross street being designated Main Ave., for in Fig; 4 may be red and thev lowerhalf MG a more ready-understanding of the otherrfiggreen, said walls being made of preferably 0 ures of vthedrawi-ng. C are two cornerbuildtranslucent colored material. The end walls ings and D areposts atthe curb line Vat the 'are each divided also into upper and lower other two corners while E are` suspension halves, respectively green as 15G and red as wires extending from said buildings 4and A15E," :Thus the lower half round panels at posts toward the. center, of the intersection the endsof the cylinder expose red surfaces over which said wires a'reshow connected simultaneously and Uwill'signa-ltraicto stop used individually or co-ordinated to keep-all trafiie moving and all said trafiic to stop simultaneously to permit. cross tratlic on intersecting or entering streets.

All panels of the cylinder of each signal are illuminable from within as by an electric bulb 16 in a socket 16S on a. rigid tubular arm 17 connected with tubular shaft 11 and through which a cable 18 (see Fig. 4) for circuit wires extends to a source of current (not shown).

It will now be readily seen that the stenciled or cut out parts oit shell 13 can be illuminated by the same light, in each ease said illumination being of the opposite color than the tratlic direction indication below it. For example, in Fig. 2 when the red end panel lR is exposed to stop traffic, the name 4th St. is illuminated in green thereabove because the light penetrates the upper green panel 15G to show 4th St. distinctly, indicating to trafiic on Main Street that the cross street at this point is 4th St.

In Fig. 3 I have shown the lower or green halt of the cylindrical member provided with extra lettering reading Go on John and Smith Sts. This is for intersections where for example a John St. and Smith St. cross Main Ave. at so-called long angles or acute angles to cach other and trafic confusion is avoided. Thus drivers approaching Main Ave. on both said streets will proceed to cross the intersection when the green signal so worded is exposed and while traffic on the cross street is simultaneously signalled to stop.

In Fig. 5 an end panel 15G is shown to be hinged and can he swung open so a person can replace the bulb 16 within the signal when necessary.

In Figs. 2, 3 and 6, 19 is an auxiliary signal housing on top ot shell 13 and having four suitably colored illuminable lenses 20 exposed in four directions and adapted to be illuminated by any suitable means previously known in the art, at intervals, just before the changes in traffic direction are to be made.

In Fig. 1 a control box 21 is shown on one of the posts D and from which circuit wires, as 22 in Fig. 4, lead to the signal, said wires being connected to a source of current 22B. The box has any suitable clock mechanism represented as 23 in Fig. 4 over the face of which a hand 24 is rotated to engage spaced contacts 25 in its path. As the hand passes over either contact circuit is closed to a motor 26 mounted in an outer housing 13H of shell 13, said motor turning the cylinder 180 degrecs, by means of a train of gears 27 of which one is on the drum shaft 12. `When arm 24 has passed a contact 25 the circuit is opened and motor 26 stops. Any other suitable electrically controlled device may be used to turn the cylinder 180 degrees at predetermined regular or variably timed periods.

In Fig. G a light frame 28 supports the signal above the top of post Gr rigidly and can be made to connect with the lower four corners oit the shell 13 in such a manner as not to obstruct clear Vision oit the signals.

Y In Fig. 7 I have illustrated a modified signal cylinder which may be cubular in shape or in elongated form prismatic as shown, the end and side panels being in alternate signalling positions corresponding to the signal means in the cylindrical type above described. Obviously the respective top and bottom panels 30 in this case will not have much value as signa-l means but may be made of blank material and only the vertical panels used for signal purposes.

Various modifications may be embodied without departing from the scope and spirit of my invention. For instance, in place of the illuminable street designating openings in the shell may be omitted and the said street names may be painted or applied on the various illuminated panels and just below the perimeter of the shell where they can be easily read. A further modification of the structure may consist in forming the housing 13 to continue below the horizontal center line as indicated by line 31 in Fig. 2, said lowerpart necessarily of transparent material and completely inclosing the signal means.

I claim:

1. A traffic directing signal adapted to be mounted over street intersections and comprising a cylindrical signal member with illuminable end and wall panels separated on a common plane, said cylinder mounted to rotate in a vertical plane, lighting means within said cylinder, a downwardly opening shell. with end walls and said cylinder journaled in said end walls, the perimeter oit the open part of said shell normally surrounding the cylinder in a horizontal. plane and the plane of its axis to expose therebelow only one half of the cylinder including simultaneously only one half of each of its end walls.

'2. The structure specified in claim 1 in which the walls of said shell, above its perimeter, are provided with suitable street indieating or direction indicating letters or numerals.,V

.3. The structure specified in claim 1 in which the walls of said shell, above its perimpanel exposed and visible to traffic only on eter, are provided with suitable street indithe street or streets crossing the first mencating or direction indicating letters or nutioned street.

merals 'forming openings illuminable from within said cylinder.

4. A traffic signal comprising a cylindrical illuminable member, the cylindrical part ot which comprises two semi-cylindrical panels placed edge to edge, one panel of different color than the other, end walls in said member also illuminable and each formed of two semi-circular discs placed edge to edge on a common plane With the abutting edges of t-he semicylindrical panels, said latter panels also of different colors but in corresponding positions at both ends of the cylinder, a housing covering and surrounding the upper half of the signal cylinder' and having journal means for rotatably mounting said cylinder at its end walls, means normally holding the cylinder with its panel dividing line in plane with the lower edge of said housing to expose one complete half of the signal cylinder below said plane and two opposite end panels simultaneously, said means arranged to turn the signal cylinder oneV hundred and eighty degrees at predetermined intervals to expose alternately the respective halfv and end panels'of the cylinder.

5. The structure speciied in claim 4 in which the panels of one side of the signal cylinder comprise a main semi-cylindrical panel of translucent red material and end panels ot green translucentmaterial, the corresponding other half of the cylinder comprising a semi-cylindrical panel of green translucent material and end panels of red translucent material.

6. The structure specified in Claim 4, and means in Vsaid signal cylinder 'for detachably retaining one of its panels to be moved to provide access to the interior of the cylinder.

7 A traffic directing signal comprising a cylindrical signal member rotatable on a horizontal shaft means, a housing inclosing the upper half of said signal member, the

said signal cylinder divided into two semicylindrical illuminable wall members of contrasting colors, the ends of said cylinder comprising each two panels also illuminable and of contrasting colors corresponding to the colors ot' the first described panels7 like cblored panels of the end and main cylinder walls arranged opposite to expose below said housing at one time, a semi-circular panel of one color and at both ends of the cylinder panels of the opposite color.

8. The structure specilied in c-laim 7 and illuminating means within said cylinder, the said housing provided with means for suspending the signal over a street intersection with its opposite end panels exposed in direct line of one street and its cylindrical In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WILLIAM H. SCHMITT.

l Uli 

